Kal Penn, 'Harold and Kumar' star, out as gay | CNN

Contents:

• KAL PENN, ‘HAROLD AND KUMAR’ AND ‘HOE’ STAR, OUT AS GAY
• ERIC DANE ON ‘EUPHORIA’ CHARACTER’S DOUBLE LIFE: “I’M ACUTELY AWARE THAT I’M A STRAIGHT ACTOR PLAYG A GAY CHARACTER”
• KAL PENN OUT AS GAY, SHAR HOW HIS 11-YEAR RELATNSHIP STARTED WH NASCAR
• KAL PENN REVEALS HE IS GAY AND ENGAGED TO PARTNER OF 11 YEARS
• EUPHORIA: NATE’S DAD GETS A BTERSWEET ORIG STORY “I KNOW WHAT ’S LIKE TO LIVE A DOUBLE LIFE,” SAYS ERIC DANE, WHO PLAYS CAL—AND EPLY RELAT TO HIS TORTURED CHARACTER.BY YOHANA DTAJANUARY 23, 2022COURTY OF HBO. SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVETHIS PIECE NTAS SPOILERS FOR SEASON TWO, EPISO THREE, OF EUPHORIA.  CAL JABS HAS, AT LAST, GOTTEN THE ORIG-STORY TREATMENT. ON SUNDAY NIGHT’S EPISO OF EUPHORIA, FANS FALLY GOT AN EYE-OPENG REVELATN TO WHY NATE’S DAD IS THE WAY HE IS (READ: VILLAO, TORMENTED, CLOSETED), REVEALG THE BTER ROOTS OF HIS SON’S SEVERE DADDY ISSU. THE EPISO, WRTEN BY SHOW CREATOR SAM LEVSON, STARTS WH A FLASHBACK TO CAL HIGH SCHOOL. HE’S A STAR WRTLER, HAPPY AND GOOD-NATURED SPE OF HIS STRICT, OVERBEARG FATHER. HE SPENDS ALL HIS SPARE TIME WH HIS BT IEND DEREK. THEY START FALLG FOR EACH OTHER, BUT BSH THEIR FEELGS ASI, STEAD MAKG A GRAND SHOW OF GETTG GIRLIENDS AND HOOKG UP WH THEM—SOMETIM THE SAME ROOM, STEALG GLANC AT EACH OTHER. ON GRADUATN NIGHT, DEREK TAK CAL OUT SO THEY N CELEBRATE ALONE. (THE FUTURE IS G FOR THEM: CAL’S OFF TO DE, WHILE DEREK’S HEADG TO A STATE SCHOOL OUT WT.) DEREK’S SPOT TURNS OUT TO BE A GAY BAR, AND CAL ROLLS WH . THEY HEAD TO THE DANCE FLOOR, SPNG AROUND TO INXS’S “NEVER TEAR US APART.” IT’S KD OF A SUBURBAN Y TU MAMá TAMBIEN MOMENT, TWO BOYS AND A JEBOX A SPARSE BAR. THEY EVENTUALLY START KISSG, SHGGG OFF THEIR HETERO FA. BUT THE FANTASY IS DISPTED THE NEXT MORNG, WHEN CAL’S GIRLIEND MARSHA TELLS HIM SHE’S PREGNANT. AND, AS WE KNOW OM THE SHOW, SHE CIS TO KEEP THE CHILD. THE TWO GET MARRIED AND HAVE ANOTHER KID, NATE (JAB ELORDI), WHILE CAL STAYS THE CLOSET, HAVG NUMERO AFFAIRS AND SECRETLY FILMG HIS SEXUAL ENUNTERS. HIS BIFURTED LIFTYLE—UPSTANDG PILLAR OF THE MUNY BY DAY, CLOSETED CHEATER BY NIGHT—EVENTUALLY IMPRTS ON NATE, MOLDG HIS SON TO A VLENT MI-ME. ACTOR ERIC DANE, WHO PLAYS CAL, FOUND THE FLASHBACK “HEARTBREAKG,” EPENG HIS UNRSTANDG OF HIS BROKEN CHARACTER. “I DON’T KNOW WHAT ’S LIKE TO BE CAL, BUT I KNOW WHAT ’S LIKE TO LIVE A DOUBLE LIFE,” THE ACTOR SAID, LLG OM HIS HOME LOS ANGEL. “I’VE HAD MY OWN EXPERIENCE WH DG AND ALHOL ABE. THAT’S A DOUBLE LIFE.”THE ACTOR, WHO SHOT TO FAME AS DR. MARK SLOAN (AKA MCSTEAMY) GREY’S ANATOMY, HAS BEEN NDID ABOUT HIS BATTLE WH DGS, VOLUNTARILY ENTERG REHAB 2011 FOR AN ADDICTN TO PAKILLERS FOLLOWG A SPORTS JURY. “TRYG TO KEEP THAT SECRET IS TOUGH,” HE NTUED. “EVENTUALLY EVERYTHG ALWAYS TCH UP WH YOU.”DANE HAD NO IA ABOUT CAL’S HIGH SCHOOL BACKSTORY GOG TO SEASON TWO. “I TST SAM SO MUCH,” HE SAID. “I’VE NEVER BEEN ONE TO PICK THE WRER’S BRA ABOUT WHAT’S G UP THE FUTURE.… I KNOW ’S GOOD HANDS.”DANE FIRST READ THE SCRIPT AT THE ST’S FIRST TABLE READ, WHICH TOOK PLACE MARCH 2020. BUT LIKE VIRTUALLY EVERYTHG ELSE PRODUCTN AT THE TIME, SEASON TWO OF EUPHORIA WAS QUICKLY SHUT DOWN DUE TO THE PANMIC, NOT PICKG UP AGA UNTIL 2021. (IN THE TERIM, LEVSON SHOT THE FEATURE MALLM & MARIE, PL TWO SPECIAL EPISOS OF EUPHORIA CENTERED ON RUE AND JUL, RPECTIVELY.) IN THE FLASHBACK, CAL IS PLAYED BY A WNG ELIAS KAVAS. THOUGH DANE DON’T APPEAR THOSE SCEN, HE SPENT SOME TIME ON SET WHEN THEY WERE BEG SHOT, GETTG TO KNOW THE YOUNG ACTOR—WHO WILL NEXT BE SEEN A TEEN SHOW OF A DIFFERENT STRIPE, PRETTY LTLE LIARS: ORIGAL S. “HE WAS TERRIFIC,” DANE SAID, THOUGH HE ADMS HE DIDN’T UNRSTAND THE STG CHOICE AT FIRST. “AT FIRST GLANCE, I WAS LIKE, THAT’S YOUNG CAL? AND THEN I STARTED TALKG TO THE GUY AND I WATCHED SOME OF HIS STUFF AND I WAS LIKE, YEAH. THAT’S YOUNG CAL.”MOST POPULARTHE ELVIS PRLEY WE DIDN’T SEE ELVISBY KATEY RICHRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, LOSG LISA MARIE, AND INHERG GRACELANDBY BRT HENNEMUTHRED, WHE & ROYAL BLUE: THE 6 BIGGT CHANG FROM BOOK TO MOVIEBY SAVANNAH WALSHAFTER THE FLASHBACK, THE EPISO TCH UP TO MORN-DAY CAL, WHO’S STALKG FEZ’S HOE AFTER NATE TELLS HIM THE DG ALER OBTAED THE SEX TAPE CAL SECRETLY MA WHEN HE MTED STATUTORY RAPE WH JUL. ASHTRAY (JAVON “WANNA” WALTON) BRGS CAL TO THE HOE AT GUNPOT, QUTNG HIM AND BEATG HIM OVER THE HEAD WH THE END OF THE SHOTGUN. “THAT SCENE WAS A LTLE TOUGH BEE I DID TAKE MULTIPLE SHOTS TO THE HEAD,” DANE NOT. “IT WAS A PROP GUN, BUT AFTER 50-SOMETHG SHOTS, FEELS LIKE A SHOTGUN.” HE’S GRATEFUL TO THE 15-YEAR-OLD WALTON, WHO REAL LIFE IS A HIGHLY TRAED BOXER CURRENTLY WORKG TOWARD THE 2024 OLYMPICS: “HE WAS REALLY GOOD AT WORKG THAT SHOTGUN SO I DIDN’T END UP WH A NCSN AT THE END OF THE DAY.”IN THE SCENE, DON’T TAKE LONG FOR CAL TO REALIZE THAT FEZ, WHO IS UTTERLY NFED BY THE WHOLE SUATN, DON’T HAVE THE TAPE. SLOWLY, THE SCENE TILTS AWAY OM DRAMA AND UP TOWARD EDY, WH DANE LIKENG TO A BIZARRO EPISO OF THREE’S COMPANY. IT WAS A RARE TREAT FOR HIM TO ACT ALONGSI OTHER ST MEMBERS OF THE SHOW, AS MOST OF HIS SCEN ARE UALLY WH ELORDI. HE’S NOT PLAG, THOUGH: “I LOVE HIM LIKE A LTLE BROTHER,” HE SAID OF THE YOUNG ATRALIAN ACTOR, WHO OCSNALLY ASKS DANE FOR ADVICE AND GEEKS OUT ABOUT THE CRAFT OF ACTG. “Z IS THAT WAY [TOO],” DANE ADDS—REFERRG, OF URSE, TO ZENDAYA, THE SHOW’S LEAD. “EVERYBODY’S SO TALENTED ON THE SHOW, THAT AT TIM I FEEL LIKE I’M PUNCHG ABOVE MY WEIGHT,” DANE SAYS. “THE KIDS ARE SO PREC, YOU KNOW? THEY’RE 20-SOMETHGS. IT’S UNBELIEVABLE.”MORE GREAT STORI FROM VANY FAIR— TV STAR SARAH WYNTER’S BATTLE WH POSTPARTUM PSYCHOSIS— CARíONA BALFE’S CELTIC CONQUT, FROM OUTLANR TO BELFAST— THE BT MOVI AND SHOWS STREAMG ON NETFLIX THIS MONTH— 21 WARDROBE WNERS INSPIRED BY AND JT LIKE THAT…— WHAT VIVIAN VANCE DIDN’T LOVE ABOUT I LOVE LUCY— THE LIFE AND DEATH OF ROSANNE BOYLAND, A CAPOL RTER— INSECURE’S NATASHA ROTHWELL CAN DO IT ALL— FROM THE ARCHIVE: JOAN DIDN, OUR LADY OF L.A.— SIGN UP FOR THE “HWD DAILY” NEWSLETTER FOR MT-READ DTRY AND AWARDS VERAGE—PL A SPECIAL WEEKLY EDN OF “AWARDS INSIR.”YOHANA DTA
• EUPHORIA'S ERIC DANE SAYS HE'S "LENT A VOICE" TO THE GAY MUNY BY PLAYG CAL

KAL PENN, ‘HAROLD AND KUMAR’ AND ‘HOE’ STAR, OUT AS GAY

The actor and former Print Obama adviser Kal Penn has e out as gay, and revealed that he’s engaged to be married. He’s no longer accepted by the straight muny and not accepted by the gay muny. “I’m acutely aware that I’m a straight actor playg a gay character, ” Dane reflects.

“The gay muny has been super supportive. Kal Penn, most known for his role as Kumar Patel alongsi John Cho’s Harold Lee the h “Harold and Kumar” film anchise, has e out as gay and announced his recent engagement. Actor Kal Penn has nfirmed he is gay and engaged to be married.

But ’s not until graduatn night that the two celebrate alone at an out-of-the-way gay bar where they fally embrace while dancg to INXS’ “Never Tear Us Apart. HBOIn episo 4, “You Who Cannot See, Thk of Those Who Can, ” a bised and battered and embarrassed Cal spirals out of ntrol as he cis to go back to the same gay bar for the first time over two s.

ERIC DANE ON ‘EUPHORIA’ CHARACTER’S DOUBLE LIFE: “I’M ACUTELY AWARE THAT I’M A STRAIGHT ACTOR PLAYG A GAY CHARACTER”

HBOIn the end, Cal lets loose on Marsha (Pla Marshall) and his two sons, Nate and Aaron (Zak Steer), before revealg that he’s a gay man who has been affairs for most of his marriage. ) Derek’s spot turns out to be a gay bar, and Cal rolls wh .

5 thgs to know about Kal Penn, who jt me out as gay his memoir – the Harold & Kumar actor and former Obama Whe Hoe staffer is also engaged to his partner of 11 years.

KAL PENN OUT AS GAY, SHAR HOW HIS 11-YEAR RELATNSHIP STARTED WH NASCAR

Thanks to the shownners drivg thentic stori, filmmakers buckg s-old heteronormative paradigms, actors embolned to live more hontly and platforms bankrollg so much of , beg gay, queer, transgenr or any other other has never been more wily embraced the entertament s gural Pri issue, The Hollywood Reporter homed on the talent and makers helpg boost visibily and creatg opportuni for members of the extend LGBTQ muny. His directorial work on Love, Simon marked the first major stud movie to center on a gay teen romance. After more than a of Watch What Happens Live Wh Andy Cohen, where he beme the first openly gay host Amerin late night, Bravo's exec turned talent tackl all kds of media (SiriXM show Rad Andy, multiple books), while upliftg and advotg for the LGBTQ muny.

I'LL FEEL GOOD ABOUT HOLLYWOOD'S LGBTQ REPRESENTATION WHEN "As much reprentatn as there is, there are very few big gay love stori. It was a gay Gus Who's Comg to Dner. He was a talented black, gay workg actor who was pavg the way for the '80s the streets Hollywood.

KAL PENN REVEALS HE IS GAY AND ENGAGED TO PARTNER OF 11 YEARS

Sudnly, a clever, funny, kd, hot gay man on TV, that's still rare. Gay all up!

EUPHORIA: NATE’S DAD GETS A BTERSWEET ORIG STORY “I KNOW WHAT ’S LIKE TO LIVE A DOUBLE LIFE,” SAYS ERIC DANE, WHO PLAYS CAL—AND EPLY RELAT TO HIS TORTURED CHARACTER.BY YOHANA DTAJANUARY 23, 2022COURTY OF HBO. SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVETHIS PIECE NTAS SPOILERS FOR SEASON TWO, EPISO THREE, OF EUPHORIA.  CAL JABS HAS, AT LAST, GOTTEN THE ORIG-STORY TREATMENT. ON SUNDAY NIGHT’S EPISO OF EUPHORIA, FANS FALLY GOT AN EYE-OPENG REVELATN TO WHY NATE’S DAD IS THE WAY HE IS (READ: VILLAO, TORMENTED, CLOSETED), REVEALG THE BTER ROOTS OF HIS SON’S SEVERE DADDY ISSU. THE EPISO, WRTEN BY SHOW CREATOR SAM LEVSON, STARTS WH A FLASHBACK TO CAL HIGH SCHOOL. HE’S A STAR WRTLER, HAPPY AND GOOD-NATURED SPE OF HIS STRICT, OVERBEARG FATHER. HE SPENDS ALL HIS SPARE TIME WH HIS BT IEND DEREK. THEY START FALLG FOR EACH OTHER, BUT BSH THEIR FEELGS ASI, STEAD MAKG A GRAND SHOW OF GETTG GIRLIENDS AND HOOKG UP WH THEM—SOMETIM THE SAME ROOM, STEALG GLANC AT EACH OTHER. ON GRADUATN NIGHT, DEREK TAK CAL OUT SO THEY N CELEBRATE ALONE. (THE FUTURE IS G FOR THEM: CAL’S OFF TO DE, WHILE DEREK’S HEADG TO A STATE SCHOOL OUT WT.) DEREK’S SPOT TURNS OUT TO BE A GAY BAR, AND CAL ROLLS WH . THEY HEAD TO THE DANCE FLOOR, SPNG AROUND TO INXS’S “NEVER TEAR US APART.” IT’S KD OF A SUBURBAN Y TU MAMá TAMBIEN MOMENT, TWO BOYS AND A JEBOX A SPARSE BAR. THEY EVENTUALLY START KISSG, SHGGG OFF THEIR HETERO FA. BUT THE FANTASY IS DISPTED THE NEXT MORNG, WHEN CAL’S GIRLIEND MARSHA TELLS HIM SHE’S PREGNANT. AND, AS WE KNOW OM THE SHOW, SHE CIS TO KEEP THE CHILD. THE TWO GET MARRIED AND HAVE ANOTHER KID, NATE (JAB ELORDI), WHILE CAL STAYS THE CLOSET, HAVG NUMERO AFFAIRS AND SECRETLY FILMG HIS SEXUAL ENUNTERS. HIS BIFURTED LIFTYLE—UPSTANDG PILLAR OF THE MUNY BY DAY, CLOSETED CHEATER BY NIGHT—EVENTUALLY IMPRTS ON NATE, MOLDG HIS SON TO A VLENT MI-ME. ACTOR ERIC DANE, WHO PLAYS CAL, FOUND THE FLASHBACK “HEARTBREAKG,” EPENG HIS UNRSTANDG OF HIS BROKEN CHARACTER. “I DON’T KNOW WHAT ’S LIKE TO BE CAL, BUT I KNOW WHAT ’S LIKE TO LIVE A DOUBLE LIFE,” THE ACTOR SAID, LLG OM HIS HOME LOS ANGEL. “I’VE HAD MY OWN EXPERIENCE WH DG AND ALHOL ABE. THAT’S A DOUBLE LIFE.”THE ACTOR, WHO SHOT TO FAME AS DR. MARK SLOAN (AKA MCSTEAMY) GREY’S ANATOMY, HAS BEEN NDID ABOUT HIS BATTLE WH DGS, VOLUNTARILY ENTERG REHAB 2011 FOR AN ADDICTN TO PAKILLERS FOLLOWG A SPORTS JURY. “TRYG TO KEEP THAT SECRET IS TOUGH,” HE NTUED. “EVENTUALLY EVERYTHG ALWAYS TCH UP WH YOU.”DANE HAD NO IA ABOUT CAL’S HIGH SCHOOL BACKSTORY GOG TO SEASON TWO. “I TST SAM SO MUCH,” HE SAID. “I’VE NEVER BEEN ONE TO PICK THE WRER’S BRA ABOUT WHAT’S G UP THE FUTURE.… I KNOW ’S GOOD HANDS.”DANE FIRST READ THE SCRIPT AT THE ST’S FIRST TABLE READ, WHICH TOOK PLACE MARCH 2020. BUT LIKE VIRTUALLY EVERYTHG ELSE PRODUCTN AT THE TIME, SEASON TWO OF EUPHORIA WAS QUICKLY SHUT DOWN DUE TO THE PANMIC, NOT PICKG UP AGA UNTIL 2021. (IN THE TERIM, LEVSON SHOT THE FEATURE MALLM & MARIE, PL TWO SPECIAL EPISOS OF EUPHORIA CENTERED ON RUE AND JUL, RPECTIVELY.) IN THE FLASHBACK, CAL IS PLAYED BY A WNG ELIAS KAVAS. THOUGH DANE DON’T APPEAR THOSE SCEN, HE SPENT SOME TIME ON SET WHEN THEY WERE BEG SHOT, GETTG TO KNOW THE YOUNG ACTOR—WHO WILL NEXT BE SEEN A TEEN SHOW OF A DIFFERENT STRIPE, PRETTY LTLE LIARS: ORIGAL S. “HE WAS TERRIFIC,” DANE SAID, THOUGH HE ADMS HE DIDN’T UNRSTAND THE STG CHOICE AT FIRST. “AT FIRST GLANCE, I WAS LIKE, THAT’S YOUNG CAL? AND THEN I STARTED TALKG TO THE GUY AND I WATCHED SOME OF HIS STUFF AND I WAS LIKE, YEAH. THAT’S YOUNG CAL.”MOST POPULARTHE ELVIS PRLEY WE DIDN’T SEE ELVISBY KATEY RICHRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, LOSG LISA MARIE, AND INHERG GRACELANDBY BRT HENNEMUTHRED, WHE & ROYAL BLUE: THE 6 BIGGT CHANG FROM BOOK TO MOVIEBY SAVANNAH WALSHAFTER THE FLASHBACK, THE EPISO TCH UP TO MORN-DAY CAL, WHO’S STALKG FEZ’S HOE AFTER NATE TELLS HIM THE DG ALER OBTAED THE SEX TAPE CAL SECRETLY MA WHEN HE MTED STATUTORY RAPE WH JUL. ASHTRAY (JAVON “WANNA” WALTON) BRGS CAL TO THE HOE AT GUNPOT, QUTNG HIM AND BEATG HIM OVER THE HEAD WH THE END OF THE SHOTGUN. “THAT SCENE WAS A LTLE TOUGH BEE I DID TAKE MULTIPLE SHOTS TO THE HEAD,” DANE NOT. “IT WAS A PROP GUN, BUT AFTER 50-SOMETHG SHOTS, FEELS LIKE A SHOTGUN.” HE’S GRATEFUL TO THE 15-YEAR-OLD WALTON, WHO REAL LIFE IS A HIGHLY TRAED BOXER CURRENTLY WORKG TOWARD THE 2024 OLYMPICS: “HE WAS REALLY GOOD AT WORKG THAT SHOTGUN SO I DIDN’T END UP WH A NCSN AT THE END OF THE DAY.”IN THE SCENE, DON’T TAKE LONG FOR CAL TO REALIZE THAT FEZ, WHO IS UTTERLY NFED BY THE WHOLE SUATN, DON’T HAVE THE TAPE. SLOWLY, THE SCENE TILTS AWAY OM DRAMA AND UP TOWARD EDY, WH DANE LIKENG TO A BIZARRO EPISO OF THREE’S COMPANY. IT WAS A RARE TREAT FOR HIM TO ACT ALONGSI OTHER ST MEMBERS OF THE SHOW, AS MOST OF HIS SCEN ARE UALLY WH ELORDI. HE’S NOT PLAG, THOUGH: “I LOVE HIM LIKE A LTLE BROTHER,” HE SAID OF THE YOUNG ATRALIAN ACTOR, WHO OCSNALLY ASKS DANE FOR ADVICE AND GEEKS OUT ABOUT THE CRAFT OF ACTG. “Z IS THAT WAY [TOO],” DANE ADDS—REFERRG, OF URSE, TO ZENDAYA, THE SHOW’S LEAD. “EVERYBODY’S SO TALENTED ON THE SHOW, THAT AT TIM I FEEL LIKE I’M PUNCHG ABOVE MY WEIGHT,” DANE SAYS. “THE KIDS ARE SO PREC, YOU KNOW? THEY’RE 20-SOMETHGS. IT’S UNBELIEVABLE.”MORE GREAT STORI FROM VANY FAIR— TV STAR SARAH WYNTER’S BATTLE WH POSTPARTUM PSYCHOSIS— CARíONA BALFE’S CELTIC CONQUT, FROM OUTLANR TO BELFAST— THE BT MOVI AND SHOWS STREAMG ON NETFLIX THIS MONTH— 21 WARDROBE WNERS INSPIRED BY AND JT LIKE THAT…— WHAT VIVIAN VANCE DIDN’T LOVE ABOUT I LOVE LUCY— THE LIFE AND DEATH OF ROSANNE BOYLAND, A CAPOL RTER— INSECURE’S NATASHA ROTHWELL CAN DO IT ALL— FROM THE ARCHIVE: JOAN DIDN, OUR LADY OF L.A.— SIGN UP FOR THE “HWD DAILY” NEWSLETTER FOR MT-READ DTRY AND AWARDS VERAGE—PL A SPECIAL WEEKLY EDN OF “AWARDS INSIR.”YOHANA DTA

And when 's jt a movie about a love story and not a gay love story. Puttg his stamp on The Ln Kg — he played Timon to great acclaim the billn-dollar-earng Disney reboot — the out-and-proud funnyman will next play Matt Ddge  Amerin Crime Story: Impeachment while his upg Judd Apatow-produced feature at Universal is set to be the first gay rom- om a major stud.

I'VE FOUND COMMUNITY DURING QUARANTINE BY "Watchg gay guys dog home workouts on Instagram. Creator of the NBC s One Big Happy and her own YouTube talk show This Jt Out, Feldman recently ma her Netflix edy outright queer, as Dead to Me's sophomore season revealed a lead character to be bisexual.

EUPHORIA'S ERIC DANE SAYS HE'S "LENT A VOICE" TO THE GAY MUNY BY PLAYG CAL

I FELT MOST PROUD TO BE PART OF THE COMMUNITY LAST YEAR WHEN "An openly gay man beme a te ntenr as a printial ndidate.